Darlington church closure blamed on 'burden of fuel costs'

St John's Church in Darlington is a listed building and contains a protected church organ

A 173-year-old church is to permanently close because of spiralling running costs and dwindling numbers of worshippers, the BBC has learnt.

St John the Evangelist, on Neasham Road in Darlington, blamed the decision on the price of "winter fuel" and its "small congregation".

A statutory process on the closure has begun, the Diocese of Durham confirmed.

It said services were being suspended to "ease the financial burden on the church" amid "high heating costs."

The Reverend Mark East said the decision had been made with "great sadness" but the church could no longer afford its maintenance or running costs.

"Given the costs of winter fuel and the situation, the Bishop of Durham has allowed us to suspend services temporarily from Sunday, 5 February whilst this process is ongoing," he said.

"We give thanks to God for the service this church has given in the community for 150 years.

"Sadly, with a small congregation, it now seems highly unlikely that we will be able to afford the running costs and maintenance of this very large building, or find the volunteers necessary to fill the roles required for the governance of the church as a charitable body."

Listed building

Mr East said a legal process needed to conclude before the church would close to worshippers.

The Grade-II listed church is a well-known feature in Darlington.

It opened in 1849 to serve railway workers in the town and was listed for protection just over a century later, in 1952.

However, it has been unable to attract people in a number of key roles, such as a churchwarden or treasurer, required to keep the building open.

The Diocese of Durham said low congregation numbers over a long period of time had made the church financially unstable.

A date for the final service has not yet been fixed.